Basalt girl hospitalized after accidentally eating pot edible

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A 7-year-old Basalt girl accidentally ingested candy that was infused with edible marijuana Sunday and was taken to Valley View Hospital for treatment, according to police.

The girl’s mother is a maid at an Aspen hotel where there is a policy that food and beverages left behind in rooms can be taken home by the cleaning staff, according to Basalt Police Chief Greg Knott. The woman found a bag of nuts that also contained a chocolate ball the size of a large marble, he said.

The girl ate the chocolate on Sunday.

“She had immediate effects,” Knott said. She was taken to Valley View Hospital in Glenwood Springs, where she stayed Sunday night and Monday for observation.

The girl’s father reported the incident to the Police Department on Monday. Knott said the nature of the effects couldn’t be ascertained because of a language barrier with the man, who was Latino. The man brought in a green, aluminum candy wrapper that was on the chocolate ball, Knott said. It wasn’t marked as an infused product, so there was no indication of how much THC the girl had ingested.

The father reported to police that his daughter was scheduled to get out of the hospital Monday evening. Knott said Tuesday that he had been unable to confirm whether that had happened.

Knott said the hotel room’s occupants didn’t commit a crime. They left behind a legally purchased product.

The incident drives home a message that care must be taken to know all items that come into a home and are accessible by children now that marijuana products are legally sold in Colorado, Knott said.

Colorado hospitals have reported a spike in the number of children accidentally ingesting marijuana edibles, which often look like candy or baked goods. The Colorado Legislature is taking steps to require more obvious labeling of marijuana products.